Building construction



p 8, 1936. E. H. LUNKEN ET AL 43 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 24, 1955 A be INVENT6RS Edmund H. Lunken Z 2 3 5 svgeorye Jijws ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 8, 1936 TENT} FF-ice BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Edmund H. Lunken, Hartsdale, and George A.

.;..Iust, Scarsdale, N. Y.

Application lJanuary 24, 1935, Serial No; 3.242 v 7 Claims.

.This invention relates to building constructions and particularlytomeans for clamping together a; plurality ofslabs, sheets or blocks of building materiai to provide a wall fora building.

It is an object of the invention to provide clamping means of the character described which may be used withmaterialsof varying thicknesses and-constructions; which-will tightly clamp the materials together to produce substantially .a

weatherproof. connection; which is flexible and.

elastic to accommodate settlement, expansion and contraction; and. whichmay be readily applied without the use of special ,tools or appliances. ,-Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter] Illustrative embodiments of the invention are shcwn in the accompanying drawing, in which:-. ,-Figure 1 is a top plan view of the clamping members in separated position.

. Fig, 2-is aside elevation of the same.

Fig.3 is atop plan view of the clamping members in connected position. a

Fig. 4 is a sideelevationof the same.

Fig. 5 is similanto Fig. 3 but includes two blocks of building material clamped between the clampingmembers and showing the manner in which thefiexible and elasticclamping member is .flexed by the clamping action and tightly clamps the blocks. 3 i i vFig. 6 is atop planview of a modified form of the-clamping members in connected position.

Fig. 7 is similar to Fig.6 but includes a flexible and. elastic weather stripassociated with one of the clamping members. 1

Fig. S-isatop plan view of another modificaticnof clamping members and a flexible and elastic weather strip.- L

yAs-conducive to a; better understanding of the invention-it may be noted that heretofore considerable difiiculty has been encountered in aligning and' connecting slabs or blocks of building material to form a building wall. Devices iheretofore employed for this purpose have been expensive ;and diflicult to apply and have not been adjustable-for different thicknesses of slabs or blocks. The present invention is intended to eliminate the difiiculti-es heretofore encountered.

Referring to Figs. land 2, the clamping means of this invention consists of two separate clamping members designated respectively A and B, and which are adapted to cooperate and clamp between them two adjacent slabs or blocks of building material. I 1 J Member A which may be the structural steel framework .off 'a building is .T-shaped and consists of a head I and stem 2. Passing through stem 2 adjacentits extremity are one or more pins 3 which may be made of solid metal or of tubing burnished into'place by the use of an expanding tool to enlarge the extremities of the pin for a purpose hereinafter described. V

Member-l3 preferably consists of a single sheet of flexible and elastic metal such as aluminum or steel bent to form two spaced legs 4 and a head 5, the extremities of which extend-"at an oblique angle to the legs 4. I

As shown in Fig. .2 legs iare provided with one or more slots 6 extendingupwardlyat an angle to the perpendicular. Legs 4 are spaced apart a sufficient distance tolreadily straddle stem 2 of member A -and slots 6 of member B- are large enough in cross-section to readily slip over'pins 3: of member A. s

Referringto Fig. 4, members A and B are connected in clamping. relationship by lowering the slots. 60f; member B over pins 3 ofmember A The slanting angle of the slots 6 draws member B toward member A until sufficient clamping action is obtained. The enlarged extremities of pins 3 prevent spreading of legs l whenpins' 3 ar forced into slots 6. k

In Fig. 5, members A: and -B are shown clamping between them'two slabs; or blocksof building material I. Tosecure a firmelamping' actionthe upperextremity of member B is preferably struck with a hammer to force it downwardly and inwardly toward member A. The farther member B is driven downwardly thextighter the clamping action. The flexibility-of the head 5 of member B permits it to be distorted from the shape shownin Fig. 3 to theshape shown in Fig. 5 when it contacts with and is forced against the slabs or blocks-l. The elasticity of the head 5 of the member B-causesit when distorted to press tightly against blocks land this tight pressure because of the-elasticity of the head will not be substantially reduced under settlement, expansion or contraction, and will provide at all times a tight weatherproof covering for the intersection between the blocks 1. The clamping members may be'applied to seal vertical or horizontal intersections between adjacent slabs or blocks and may be of sufficient length to seal a plurality of such intersections. 1

- In a series of superimposed clamping members, the upper extremity of the topmost member A may be-ext'en'ded and provided with a series of holes .Zl through one of which .aibolt or pin 22 maybe passed to contact the upper extremity produced by the construction shown in Figs. 1

To provide a tight connection with the construction shown in Fig. 6, a flexible and elastic weather strip 8 having inwardly projecting arms 9 may he slipped over the head 5 of member B,

as shown in Fig. '7. Such a weather strip will provide the tight connection which may be desirable in certain building constructions.

In Fig. 8 is shown a modification of clamping means provided with an elastic weatherproof strip for producing a tight connection. As there shown, the member B consists of three members, namely, a head ID, a member ll formed to provide two spaced legs l2, and an elastic weather strip l3 interposed between the head I0 and the member I l. The three parts just referred to may be welded together. The extremities of the weather strip l3 are bent to form an oblique angle between each extremity and a leg l2, so that when the member B is forced downwardly and toward member A, the strip l3 contacting with a slab or block of building material will be flexed from its normal position toward head l0 and thereby increase the pressure of the strip l3 against the blocks or slabs clamped between members A and B.

It will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments shown for purposes of illustration as the inventive features may be variously embodied without departing from the invention. For example, the pins 3 may be carried by the member B and slots 5 formed in the stem 2 of member A. In this suggested construction, the slots 6 will, of course, extend downwardly in the member A instead of upwardly as they do in member B.

It will also be understood that all of the features of the invention need not be used conjointly as they may be used to advantage in various combinations as defined by the sub-joined claims.

The expression V-shaped head as used in the claims is intended to include a head so formed that opposite side edges of the head will be the first parts of the head to contact with the wallforming material when the clamping member B is forced against the wall-forming material. Such a head formation may take the form of the broadened V-shape shown in Fig. 3 or may take the form of a broadened U-shape. The expression V-shaped head is not intended to limit the invention to any particular angle or spacing between the legs of the V or the U.

The expression T beam as used in the claims is intended to include any building framework construction having a base or head against which wall-forming material may be pressed and having a stem extending from the base or head and capable of supporting the clamping member B.

We claim:

1. Means for clamping wall-forming material to the framework of a building comprising, in combination with a T beam of the framework, a pin extending through the stem of the T beam at substantially a right angle thereto, and a flexible and elastic metal clamping member formed to provide an elongated V-shaped head and an elongated stem extending inwardly from or adjacent the apex of the head, the stem consisting of two spaced legs to straddle the stem of the T beam and the legs being provided with aligned slanting slots to receive the pin, whereby when the clamping member is forced down over the pin it will be drawn toward the T beam and against the wall-forming material and be flexed out of its normal plane and will clamp the sections of wall-forming material between the clamping member and the T'beam with an elastic clamping pressure to accommodate settling movement, expansion or contraction of the wallforming material.

2. Means for clamping sections of wall-forming material to the framework of a building comprising in combination with a T beam of the framework, a pin extending from the stem of the T beam, and a flexible and elastic metal clamping member formed to provide an elongated V- shaped head and an elongated stem extending inwardly from or adjacent the apex of the head, the stem being provided with a slanting slot to receive the pin extending from the stem of the T beam, whereby when the clamping member is forced down over the pin it will be drawn toward the T beam and against the wall-forming material and be flexed out of its normal plane and will clamp the sections of wall-forming material between the clamping member and the T beam with an elastic clamping pressure to accommodate settling movement, expansion or contraction of the wall-forming material.

3. Means for clampingsections of wall-forming material to the framework of a building comprising, in combination with a T beam of the framework, a pin extending from the stem of the T beam, and a clamping member formed of an integral sheet of flexible and elastic metal to provide an elongated V-shaped head and an elongated stem extending inwardly from or adjacent the apex of the head, the stem consisting of the extremities of the sheet of metal spaced apart to straddle the stem of the T beam and being provided with aligned slots to receive the pin, whereby when the clamping member is forced down over the pin its head will be drawn toward the T beam and flexed out of its normal plane and will clamp the sections of wall-forming material between the clamping member and the T beam with an elastic clamping pressure to accommodate settling movement, expansion or contraction of the wall-forming material.

4. Clamping means of the character described, including a clamping member having an elongated V-shaped head of flexible and elastic metal, whereby when pressed against the material to be clamped the V-shaped head will be flexed out of its normal shape, and means cooperating with the clamping member to retain the head in its flexed condition, whereby an elastic pressure will be exerted against the clamped material to accommodate settling movement, expansion or contraction of the material.

5. Clamping means of the character described, including a clamping member having an elongated V-shaped head of flexible and elastic metal whereby when pressed against the material to be clamped the V-shaped head will be flexed out of its normal shape, and a pair of spaced legs of flexible and elastic metal extending from spaced points adjacent the apex of the head and provided with'means cooperating with the clamping member for retaining the head in its flexed condition against the material to be clamped, whereby an elastic pressure will be exerted against the clamped material to accommodate settling movement, expansion or contraction of the material.

6. Clamping means of the character described, including a clamping member having an elongated V-shaped head of flexible and elastic metal, portions of which are formed to provide a double wall whereby when pressed against the material to be clamped the head including the double wall portions thereof will be flexed out of normal shape, and means cooperating with the clamping member to retain the head including the double wall portions thereof in flexed condition, whereby an elastic pressure will be exerted against the clamped material to accommodate settling movement, expansion or contraction of the material.

7. Means to clamp wall-forming material to the framework of a building comprising a clamping member having associated therewith a V- shaped clamping portion of resilient metal whereby when pressed against the material the V-shaped portion will be flexed out of its normal shape, and means cooperating with the clamping member to retain the V-shaped portion in its flexed condition whereby a continuing pressure will be exerted against the clamped material to accommodate settling movement, expansion or contraction of the material.

EDMUND H. LUNKEN. GEORGE A. JUST. 

